Bald Eagle Area girls basketball snaps losing streak with victory over Philipsburg-Osceola
Bald Eagle girls basketball’s Kierra Serb saw her team go on four-game losing streak in the past two weeks. They needed a turnaround to get their season on the right track.
Their opportunity came against Mountain League rival Philipsburg-Osceola on Thursday night. Not only did BEA get back on track, but they did so in style — winning 56-16. Serb scored a game-high 13 points and teammates Maddie Derry and Abby Hoover scored 12 and 10 points respectively for three players in double figures.
“It felt really good to win because we’ve been on a really bad losing streak for the past week,” Serb said. “Us winning really helped our confidence in our teammates, we played as a team, everyone scored and everyone got in. It worked out really well and we got a win out of it. I’ve been having some troubles shooting lately and with me being the leading scorer (tonight), that’s just helped my confidence in me knowing that I can do well. I also have people who trust in me to make a shot.”
Eagles head coach Shawn Thompson was impressed with his team’s effort on both ends of the floor. They were able to play the way he’d like them to play — pressing defense from end-to-end of the court, a great deal of ball movement on the offensive end and getting to the free throw line. BEA went 8-for-10 from the free throw line and continued to grab rebounds for second chance points. The best part for Thompson and his team was that each player was able to enter the game.
“It felt good,” Thompson said. “The kids deserved it. We’ve had a tough four-game stretch. It was nice to see them execute; we were able to dictate the tempo and we did a nice job with our pressure defense tonight. The kids all played very well. I’m a big believer in spreading the ball around. I always tell the kids, ‘Shoot it if you got it.’ I’m a big proponent of shooting. I tell them, ‘If you don’t shoot it, you can sit by me.’ The kids do a wonderful job of spreading the ball around. They’re not scared to shoot. When they get the opportunity to score, they want to score. That’s the mentality that we’re trying to build here.”
BEA dominated in the first quarter with a 23-2 score. The Eagles’ scoring push began with Serb’s strong performance with eight points. She shared the wealth with Derry, who had seven points at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles continued to play suffocating defense, forcing turnovers and scoring on fast break opportunities on the offensive end. Hoover scored an additional four points in the second quarter, with Serb adding four more points and Taylor Habovick scoring a quarter-high seven points to give BEA a 42-10 lead at halftime.
BEA continued to spread the wealth in the third quarter with five different players making shots. Olivia Boone came off the bench to knock down a 3-point field goal and Sybil Thompson scored two additional points, finishing with four on the night. The Eagles led 52-14 at the end of three quarters. Rachel Bryan and Gabby Perry had BEA’s final two baskets.
P-O’s Khendyl Sharrer was the team’s leading scorer with 12 points — Lily Warlow scored three and Maddy Malinich made a free throw.
Bald Eagle Area 56, Philipsburg-Osceola 16
BEA (5-6): Serb 13, Derry 12, Hoover 10, Habovick 7, Boone 6,Thompson 4, Perry 2, Bryan 2
PO (2-10): Sharrer 12, Warlow 3, Malinich 1
First Half: 42-10, BEA
